Calgary, Edmonton and into BC

Friday, May 26, 2017

We made good use of the Visitor Information Centres or VICs as they call them in Alberta. We stopped in Lethbridge to get an Alberta highway map and a great book with all the campgrounds in Alberta for a quick reference point. We also got great directions of how to get through not only Calgary, but Edmonton also.

The wind finally shifted and our fuel mileage has improved. Still seeing lots of sun and other than a bit of rain through a bit of Montana, it was been great. We continued using small town parks – found some nice ones and so far, even on a Friday night, we had no problems getting a site later in the day. Our last night in Alberta, just northeast of Edmonton, we travelled a couple of miles off the highway to camp right beside a lake. We were treated to a beautiful sunset over the water.

We decided to stock up on some groceries before crossing into BC. Tax in Alberta is only 5% compared to the 13% in BC. Although most groceries are non-taxable, anything else we pick up while shopping has been beneficial with the lower tax rate. We won’t likely see the grocery selection again for quite some time so we’re taking advantage of getting some of the fresh vegetables and fruit here. I expect we’ll be using some of the dried stuff soon.

Finally on Sunday, May 29th, we arrived in Dawson Creek, BC and the start of the Alaska Highway. Our plan is to stay 3 nights and head out on Wednesday to begin the trek north. It is sunny and warm – mid-20’s and we have parked the trailer at Mile 0 Campground.